"My task which I am trying to achieve is, by the power of the written word, to make you hear, to make you feel--it is, above all, to make you see." -- Joseph Conrad (1897)

Wednesday, August 05, 2009

Stephen Rowley: The Classic Hollywood Town at the Dawn of Suburbia

The Classic Hollywood Town at the Dawn of Suburbia by Stephen RowleyRefractory

Abstract

This article examines the depictions of small towns in a number of Hollywood films from the 1940s, and describes some of the ideals of community that were shaping (and reflecting) the community attitudes that would underlie the post-war suburban boom. Two points are of particular interest. Firstly, what are some of the common physical and social characteristics of the communities as depicted in these films? And secondly, what can we glean from the films about the attitudes to community and suburbanisation that existed at the dawn of the suburban age?

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About Me

Sprouted San Diego-CA. Interpellated through Midwest universities. Working the borderline South. Searching for viable alternatives. Interested in indymedia, revolutionary knowledge, radical art/music/fictions, food politics and resistance cultures. Dialogic Cinephilia is the belief that in order to better understand/appreciate the world of cinema, one must learn about the world. I research, teach and write about World Cinema, Peace and Conflict Studies and Media Issues. Twitter @mdbento